States of Consciousness Chapter 5

Graph your alertness Think of your alertness level on during a typical weekday. Make a graph with wake-up to sleep on the x-axis, and alertness on the y- axis.

Consciousness Definition: An individual ’ s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and memories that are active at a given moment. Or “ an organism ’ s awareness of its own self and surroundings ” Awareness of: » Internal sensations » External events » Self as a unique being » Thoughts and experiences Characteristics: Personal and subjective, occurring on a continuum, and changing all the time.

Function of Consciousness Monitoring – Monitoring the environment for what is and what isn’t important – Selective Attention: the ability to choose what to allow into consciousness – Cocktail Party Phenomenon Controlling – Used to plan and change our actions

Levels of Consciousness Pre-consciousness: Ideas that are not in your awareness right now, but could be recalled if asked. Unconsciousness: Unavailable to awareness under most circumstances. This information is hidden from you. The idea of the unconscious comes from Freud. Non-consciousness: Biological processes that you are just not aware of such as hair and finger nails growing. Altered State of Consciousness: hypnosis and drug induced states

States of Consciousness

Consciousness – Wake Alert & aware – Sleep Temporary, non- consciousness – Altered States Artifically induced states

Waking Consciousness Levels of information Processing – Parallel processing– subconscious information processing occurs simultaneously on many parallel tracks. – Serial processing– conscious processing takes place in sequence

Biological Clocks Biological clocks are internal units that control parts of the body and which are regulated by nature. They operate on free- running cycles (under their own control).

Biological Rhythms Twenty-eight-day cycles: The female menstrual cycle averages 28-days. Research shows menstruation may not affect moods.

Circadian Rhythms The human body has a natural rhythm or cycle of sleep and wakefulness of 25 hours. Contrast this to the light-dark cycle of 24 hours. The human circadian rhythm is based on an entrained 24-hour cycle. Most people’s low points (temperature, blood pressure, and weakness ) generally fall between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Biological Rhythms and Sleep Circadian Rhythm Light triggers suprachiasmatic nucleus to decrease (morning) melatonin from pineal gland and increase (evening) it at night fall.

Biological Rhythms  Sleep  periodic, natural loss of consciousness  as distinct from unconsciousness resulting from a coma, general anesthesia, or hibernation.

15 Measuring sleep. About every 90- minutes we pass through a cycle of five distinct sleep stages. Sleep Stages Hank Morgan/ Rainbow

EEG Cycles

17 Awake & Alert During strong mental engagement brain exhibits low amplitude, fast, irregular beta waves (15-30 cps). A person awake in conversation shows beta activity. Beta Waves

18 Awake but Relaxed When eyes are closed, but the individual is awake, brain activity slows down to large amplitude, slow, regular alpha waves (9-14 cps). A meditating person exhibits alpha brain activity.

19 During early light sleep (stages 1-2) the brain enters a high amplitude, slow, regular wave form called theta waves (5-8 cps). A person daydreaming shows theta activity. Sleep Stages 1-2 Theta Waves

Sleep Stages 1 & 2 Stage 1 Irregular, breathing slows, light sleep, easily awakened, lasts about two minutes, may have sensory experience without stimulus Stage 2 About 20 minutes long easily awakened but clearly asleep

21 During deepest sleep (stages 3-4) brain activity slows down. There are large amplitude, slow delta waves (1.5-4 cps). Sleep Stages 3-4

DEEP Sleep stages 3 & 4 Stage 3 – A purely transitional stage Stage 4 – About 30 minutes long – Hard to awaken – Walking or talking in sleep, wetting the bed, and night terrors can occur during this stage – Still attend to external stimuli

23 Stage 5: REM Sleep After reaching the deepest sleep stage (4) the sleep cycle starts moving backward towards stage 1. Although still asleep, the brain engages in low amplitude, fast and regular beta waves (15-40 cps), much like awake-aroused state. A person in this sleep phase exhibits Rapid Eye Movements (REM) and reports vivid dreams.

REM Sleep REM (Rapid Eye Movement) Sleep – recurring sleep stage – vivid dreams – “paradoxical sleep” muscles are generally relaxed, but other body systems are active

Sleep and Dreams REM SLEEPNREM SLEEP 1. Rapid eye movement1. Non-rapid eye movement 2. Increases in length as night’s sleep progresses. 2.Decreases in length as night’s sleep progresses. 3. Vivid dreams3. Vague, partial images and stories 4. Nightmares4. Incubus attacks (night terrors) 5. Paralyzed body5. Sleepwalking & talking in sleep 6. Essential part of sleep6. Less essential part of sleep

Dreaming Dreams can occur at any stage Content and clarity of dream depends on which stage it occurs in – Dreams in sleep stage 1-4 generally lack detail and are more associated with reports of emotion (ex: “ It felt like I was being chased ” ) – REM dreams are detailed and are associated with story lines (ex: I was walking down a dimly lit street, wearing high heels… ” )

The Function of Dreaming Function – Wish Fulfillment (Freud): Manifest (actual) and latent contents (symbolic) – Information Processing (Cartwright): The need to continue processing the day ’ s activities. Solves problems – Activation Synthesis Hypothesis (Hobson & McCarley): Triggered by neural activity from the brainstem

Most Common Dreams wFalling wBeing attacked wTrying repeatedly to do something wSchool, teachers, exams wSex wArriving too late wFrozen with fright wDeath of a loved one wNudity/Inappropriat e dress wKilling or seeing themselves dead wFire/ Snakes

30 90-minute Cycles during Sleep With each 90-minute cycle, stage 4 sleep decreases and the duration of REM sleep increases.

31 Why do we sleep? We spend one third of our life sleeping. If an individual remains awake for several days they deteriorate, in terms of immune function, concentration and accidents. Jose Luis Pelaez, Inc./ Corbis

32 Sleep Deprivation 1.Fatigue and subsequent death. 2.Impaired concentration. 3.Emotional irritability. 4.Depressed immune system. 5.Greater vulnerability.

33 Accidents Frequency of accidents increase with loss of sleep

34 Sleep Theories 1.Sleep Protects: Sleeping in the darkness when predators loom kept our ancestors out of harms way. 2.Sleep Recuperates: Sleep helps restore and repair brain tissue. 3.Sleep Helps Remembering: Sleep restores and rebuilds our fading memories. 4.Sleep and Growth: During sleep pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Older people release less of this hormone and sleep less.

Individual Differences in Sleep Drive Some individuals need more and some less than the typical 8 hours per night Nonsomniacs—sleep far less than most, but do not feel tired during the day Insomniacs—has a normal desire for sleep, but is unable to and feels tired during the day

36 1.Somnambulism: Sleepwalking. 2.Nightmares: Frightening dreams that wake a sleeper from REM. 3.Night terrors: Sudden arousal from sleep and intense fear accompanied by physiological reactions (e.g., rapid heart rate, perspiration) that occur during SWS. Sleep Disorders: Insomnia

37 4.Narcolepsy: Overpowering urge to fall asleep that may occur while talking or standing up. 5.Sleep apnea: Failure to breathe when asleep. Sleep Disorders: Insomnia

Sleep Disorders NightmaresNight Terrors 1. Occurs during REM sleep, usually during the second half of the night. 1. Occurs during NREM sleep, usually during the first hour of the night. 2. Mild physiological changes2. Drastic bodily changes: breathing & heart rate rise dramatically. 3. Associated with vivid images3. Associated with panic 4. Most likely to occur during REM rebound. 4. Most likely to occur in children

Hypnosis wHeightened state of suggestibility wPosthypnotic suggestions and amnesia wTheories: Disassociation, role, state wBest subjects: fantasize, imaginations, good concentration, think favorably wFacts and fallacies

Sleep Deficit and Teenagers As stated earlier teenagers need 9 to 9½ hours of sleep each night. Not only do they need more sleep, but your bodies are not tired until later, around 11:00 or so. That means you need to sleep until 8:00 to get the required amount of sleep.

Sleep Deficit and Teenagers If you could take a nap every day, would you? Why or why not? What time of day do you feel like you are at your best? Which period? Studies suggest that you are at your best around 9:00 am.

Intro Take out a piece of paper, Title it Sleeping and dreaming and spend a few minutes writing about the following: (we will be turning it in) – Sleep How much do you get? Nightly & weekends What are your sleeping habits like? Is there such a thing as too much? How long can a person go without it? – Dreams Do you dream? What is the purpose of dreams? Do dreams have meaning?

Quick Study Take your heart rate ( take your pointer and middle finger your neck and count beats while I time you for ten seconds) Take some deep breaths slow your breathing down Sit quietly and listen to your body – What are your thoughts? – How do your muscles feel? – Are you carrying stress anywhere? – 1-10 scale, how tired are you 1 if you are asleep right now, 10 if you’re bouncing off the walls – On your same paper make a few notes about how you feel now Find a comfortable place on the floor or in your desk – Don’t sit next to someone you will talk to – If you snore, let your neighbor know.

Relaxation Now, spend another moment listening to your body. – What changes do you notice? – Is the tension gone? – What are your thoughts? Write a paragraph about the relaxation exercise, how it affected you and how you could use it in your life.

Sleep Deficit Number your paper 1-15 and answer with a yes or no 1.I need an alarm clock to wake up at the appropriate time. 2.It’s a struggle for me to get out of bed in the morning. 3.Weekday mornings I hit the snooze bar several times to get more sleep. 4.I feel tired, irritable, and stressed out during the week. 5.I have trouble concentrating and remembering.

Sleep Deficit: when can you tell your not get enough sleep 6.I feel slow with critical thinking, problem solving, and being creative. 7.I often fall asleep watching TV 8.I often fall asleep in boring meetings or lectures or in warm rooms. 9.I often fall asleep after heavy meals. 10.I often fall asleep while relaxing after dinner.

Sleep Deficit 11.I often fall asleep within five minutes of getting into bed. 12.I often feel drowsy while driving. 13.I often sleep extra hours on weekend mornings. 14.I often need a nap to get through the day. 15.I have dark circles around my eyes.

Sleep Deficit Scoring: – 3 or less you have perfect sleep habits – 4-11 various extremes of sleep deficit – 12 or higher, extreme lack of sleep, possibly need professional help.

Sleep Deficit Teenagers need on average NINE hours of sleep every night. If you are not getting 9 hours you could be sleep deprived. How can you improve your sleep deficit? – Relaxation….zzzzzz….